RMBS

The practice of voluntary asset buy-backs is prompting Fitch Ratings to keep several RMBS transactions in South Africa on Rating Watch Negative (RWN), the agency said in a report looking at the expected performance of the country’s structured finance sector this year.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) late Wednesday filed civil charges against a former operations chief at the now defunct Colonial Bank, accusing her of playing a key role in $1.5 billion warehouse lending related scam.

Troubled bond insurer Ambac Assurance Corp. posted a gain in its statutory surplus even as its bankrupt parent recorded a net loss in its fourth-quarter filing Wednesday.

The backlash against an aggressive mortgage servicing settlement reached new heights on Wednesday as lawmakers sharply criticized Elizabeth Warren of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for her involvement and two state attorneys general vocally opposed the proposed deal.

Former Freddie Mac chairman and CEO Richard Syron recently received a 'Wells Notice' from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which means the agency is considering filing civil charges against him related to his management of company.

The flight to safety as a result of the crisis in Japan sent mortgage rates tumbling in the week ending March 17.

U.S. housing starts sank to a seasonally adjusted 479,000 in February, the lowest level in 23 months, as building permits dropped to a record low, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Goldman Sachs is once again entertaining bids on its subprime servicing operation, Litton Loan Servicing, Houston, and has approached a handful of bidders about making an offer, according to industry officials.

For at least his first year as head of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), David Stevens will be barred from lobbying the federal agency that matters most to many of the trade group's members: the one he's leaving.

Mortgage application activity slipped 0.7% in the week ending March 11 as a result of lower purchase activity.